What must Group of Five teams do to reach College Football Playoff?
By Zach Bigalke
5. There must be no other undefeated teams in the FBS
Last year, there was a magnifying glass on the fact that there was no other undefeated team in the entire FBS aside from UCF. The Knights benefitted from upsets suffered by teams like Miami, Alabama, and Wisconsin over the last few weeks of the season that paved the way for Scott Frost’s team to emerge as the only unbeaten of 2017.
As we saw in the 2009 case, Boise State and TCU were unable to slip past unbeaten champions from a trio of power conferences. Everything worked out perfectly in 2017 in this regard, and there is no guarantee when those circumstances will next come together.
Most importantly, the bulk of those upsets of highly-rated unbeaten sides need to take place before championship weekend. That will prevent the selection committee from conjuring up justifications to execute the smallest of drops in the rankings due to facing a high-powered opponent.
Even seeing undefeated teams fall is no guarantee that a Group of Five team can reach the College Football Playoff. But, just as BYU was only able to become the 1984 national champion because they ended the season as the only unbeaten, this is one of several conditions that must be satisfied to allow a Group of Five program to make the semifinals.